As I continue to bolster my construction crew, I recently added this small set to my collection. Its the latest iteration of many front-end loaders that LEGO has produced over the years; but is it the best?

First and foremost is its more streamlined, realistic design. It certainly looks a lot better than previous efforts! It uses the bigger "squishy" tires, which give it an appropriately tough feel. The build quality is solid, and the details are quite nice for such a small vehicle.

Unfortunately, the Front-End Loader has its share of problems. First and foremost is the price; $12.99 for this thing is a bit steep. Sure, you get a vehicle and minifig, but there's no tools or anything for the minifig to use outside of the loader (other sets in the line come with at least an accessory or two). Plus, the vehicle itself doesn't come with any extra parts; it's a Front-End Loader with nothing to load!

You're not throwing your money away with this set, but it's not an absolute requirement when building your town. If you can save up, go for one of the larger vehicles instead.

Ratings (on a scale of 1 to 10):

Parts: 7/10 Not too many new pieces here, but the ones includes are pretty good and mesh well with the overall design.
Minifigs: 3/10 Just a single one, and it uses the stubbled face that's seen in far too many sets these days, across many themes. There's no accessories for him, either, which kinda sucks.
Detail: 7/10 Surprisingly good for such a small set.
Playability: 4/10 While the loader rolls, turns, and lifts its bucket as you'd expect it to, it didn't include any debris to actually use with it. Other sets have included this stuff; why not this one?
Price to parts: 3/10 Its MSRP is $12.99, but there's only 108 pieces in there. Hmmm...
Availability: 10/10 This is part of the first wave of new City sets, so you shouldn't have trouble finding it anywhere.
OVERALL RATING: 5/10 While it's a good set, the lack of accessories and higher-than-average price point are black marks against it. It's not a bad addition to the Construction subtheme of the City theme, but not really necessary, either._________________Brickshelf